My Oscar pool card.

Below you will find my entire list of votes I submitted for a genuine Oscar pool for Stephen Van Vuuren's fund-raiser. Normally, I would never recommend that anyone gamble, but this time it's for a good cause.

Also note that with some of these votes, my heart triumphed over my head. For instance, even though No Country for Old Men is a lock for Best Picture, I'm pulling for Juno, because it's my favorite of all the nominees, plus there is a chance it could win since some of the Academy voters who would have otherwise voted for No Country will be pulling for There Will Be Blood instead.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood


I know I had picked George Clooney for Michael Clayton in my Oscars package, but Day-Lewis has done a lot lately to counter all the bad will he had accumulated in the industry.


Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men

There are two sure things for tonight's ceremony. Bardem is the first.



Performance by an actress in a leading role

Julie Christie in Away from Her

And Christie is the second.


Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There

Amy Ryan seems like an obvious choice - she's won the most awards. However, Blanchet won the second most awards, plus Heath Leder co-starred in I'm Not There. Something tells me she'll get the most votes because members think Blanchett will be the nominee most likely to say a nice word or two about the fallen actor.



Best animated feature film of the year
Ratatouille
Sorry, Persepolis - I loved you a lot, but I don't think older Academy voters will share my feelings.


Achievement in art direction
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo


Achievement in cinematography
There Will Be Blood: Robert Elswit


Achievement in costume design
Elizabeth: The Golden Age Alexandra Byrne

Probably the only really good thing about that entire movie.


Achievement in directing
No Country for Old Men, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Just as I said duing my Oscars package: Two birds with one statue. Sorry, PTA and Julien Schnabel.


Best documentary feature
No End in Sight A Representational Pictures Production: Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

This was the only category that truly dissapointed me. The King of Kong should have been nominated. That said, No End in Sight is the best of the anti-war docs, and Michael Moore has no chance in hell of ever winning again.


Achievement in film editing
Into the Wild: Jay Cassidy

This is my zany wild card vote of the evening, but I got a hunch Into the Wild has a valid shot in this category.


Best foreign language film of the year
Beaufort Israel

This would have easily been The Diving Bell and the Butterfly if France wasn't so short-sided and nationalistic. I mean here was the story of one of the only French men in the history of the world who refused to surrender despite the odds and accomplished something impressive. No wonder the country can't win any wars.


Achievement in makeup
La Vie en Rose Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald

I still can't believe Norbit got a nomination in this category.


Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Atonement (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli

The only score on this entire list that was half-way memorable. Shame on the Academy for omitting Into the Wild, There Will be Blood, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.


Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Falling Slowly" from "Once" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova

This might cost me a mark in the W column tonight, but I'll be damned if I ever vote for another song from a Disney movie.


Best motion picture of the year
Juno (A Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production) A Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production: Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers

Like I said before, the serious movie vote is going four ways - or two, actually, since Atonement and Michael Clayton don't have a chance. That's why I am giving my vote this year to a comedy. I did the same thing last year for Little Miss Sunshine, and while it lost out to The Departed, my gut feeling tells me it was a not-too-distant second place. If a comedy ever had a chance at snagging Oscar gold from the over-awarded dramas, it would be this year.


Achievement in sound editing
No Country for Old Men: Skip Lievsay

Probably the best thing about this movie.


Achievement in sound mixing
Transformers (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

Apparently a lot of reporters have made a huge stink about Kevin O' Connell being the current 'biggest loser' in Oscar history. And even though Transformers flat-out sucks, after 19 nominations, O'Connell could scoop the pity vote in a category most people are totally clueless about anyway.


Achievement in visual effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier

Again, not a very good movie, but still the best of those nominated in the category.


Adapted screenplay
No Country for Old Men, Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

They don't deserve this award, but they're gonna win it. Guess I'd better get over it.


Original screenplay
Juno, Written by Diablo Cody

And if this decade's Quentin Tarantino doesn't at least take home this award tonight, I will post a YouTube video of myself eating a packet of mayonase. Mind you, I think mayo is the most disgusting ingredient on the face of this Earth.